Why Do Offenders Keep Reoffending?
Wade Brown, Jeremy White, & Lauren Hicks
Group 8
Hypothesis Offenders reoffend because we as a society do not accept
them back into the community because we attach a negative
stigma to people that have criminal records, thus pushing them
away and forcing them back into their old habits.
Our Survey
• Sample Size
• 500 UVU students via email
• Got a total of 62 responses
• Confidence Level & Interval
• Problems Group 8 Encountered
IRB Feedback
• Response Rate
• 62 Responses
Literature ReviewPaige Paulson
Role of community based programs in reducing recidivism in ex-
offender
Five themes in this research emerged through data analysis
Offenders are not prepared for successful release due to societal
and personal barriers
Jeffrey D. Morenoff & David J. Harding
Whether and how mass incarceration has affected the social and
economic structure of American communities.
How residential neighborhoods affect the social and economic
reintegration of returning prisoners.
Research Design & How We
Collected Data
• Qualtrics Survey
• Anonymous
• 33 Questions
• Sent through Utah Valley University
provided email addresses
Did you grow up in a single parent household?
Were your parents ever incarcerated?
Do you think mental health disorders contribute to the increased
risk of recidivism?
Do you think parole and probation services help reduce the risk
of recidivism?
Do you think rehabilitation during incarceration reduces the risk
of recidivism?
Do you think offenders reoffend because they are under the
influence of one or more drugs?
Would you enroll into a class if you knew that somebody enrolled
in that class had been convicted of murder?
If you were an employer, would you refuse to hire a convicted
felon?
Former criminals have become some of America's greatest in
industry.
Former criminals have become some of America's greatest
leaders in law.
If you managed a rental property, would you rent your property to
a convicted felon?
Do you think a contributing factor of recidivism includes the
difficulties released offenders face in renting an apartment?
Do you think a contributing factor of recidivism includes the
difficulties released offenders face in getting an education?
Do you think, an individual who is found guilty of a misdemeanor drug
offense (e.g. possession of marijuana) while receiving Federal student
aid should be disqualified from receiving further aid for a specific
period of time?
If you were on a parole board, would you grant somebody early
release if they were sentenced to life in prison?
Offenders should be treated like everybody else.
In Conclusion..
The data received shows UVU students understand that
recidivism is a problem, and understand a lot of the causes.
However, the data shows a pretty close split of their opinion
interacting with these offenders. The students don’t feel like they
personally discriminate against offenders, they do however see
society as a whole discriminate against offenders. This survey
was only sent out to UVU students, so they don’t speak for the
public as a whole. For more accurate data the study would need
to be extended for time, and a broader sample.